So, in the medical card appeared a strange designation HBsAg. What does this mean? And the fact that the patient was infected with the hepatitis B virus (in acute or chronic form). This disease is formed due to the presence in the body of the DNA-containing virus, which is transmitted from one person to another mainly through the blood (with transfusion, drug or sexual contact), but other ways of infection are possible. The virus may not manifest itself in a month, or even half a year. If treatment of the disease is very difficult, then there is a chance of developing cirrhosis of the liver.
HBsAg - what is it?
So, in general terms figured out. And more precisely, HBsAg - what is it? This designation is "Australian" antigen. It is a lipoprotein and is a part of the lipoprotein coat of the hepatitis B virus. It was discovered by B. Blamberg in 1963. So if you have HBsAg detected (what is it, how is it not an alarm signal?) - immediately go through the examination and in no case delay it. HBsAg determines the virus's ability to stay in the body for a long time, to thermostability, etc.
Usually HBsAg is detected in the body with acute hepatitis and in the last two weeks of the incubation period (or in the first month - six months after the onset of the disease). After the detection of HBsAg in most patients during treatment, this antigen decreases within three months, until complete disappearance. If HBsAg is detected after a half-year course of the disease, it indicates the transition of hepatitis B into a chronic form.
HBsAg (blood test) - what is it?
Such an analysis is the main method used to detect hepatitis B in the human body. The analysis allows you to find out the amount of antigen in the blood. At resistance of an organism of illness also antibodies - anti-HBs are allocated also. The definition of these two components makes it possible to determine at what stage the development of the disease is.
The blood test for the detection of HBsAg antigen allows to detect hepatitis B at the earliest stages of its development. In addition to the very beginning of the development of the disease, in rare cases HBsAg can settle in the human body for life.
Decrypt the result of the analyzes
If after donating blood it turned out that HBsAg is positive - what does it mean? It may happen that you, unfortunately, become ill with an acute or chronic form of hepatitis B. There is another option, but no more iridescent - you are the carrier of asymptomatic hepatitis B. However, even with a negative result of the analysis, everything can be much more complicated. In one of the cases, you can simply not be infected with hepatitis B. This is a pleasant turn of events. Or you can just go through a period of recovery (if you previously had an acute form of the disease). In rare cases, there can be a very unpleasant outcome: in your body, both hepatitis I and hepatitis D can simultaneously "settle". Therefore, it is often prescribed to re-sift the analysis in order to verify the correctness of the diagnosis.
However, with the slightest suspicion of having HBsAg, immediately consult a doctor. Vigilance has not prevented anyone yet.